| Sound change andalternation |
|---|
| Fortition |
| Dissimilation |
Inphonology andhistorical linguistics,cluster reduction is the simplification ofconsonant clusters in certain environments or over time. Cluster reduction can happen in different languages,dialects of those languages, in world Englishes, and as a part oflanguage acquisition.
Different varieties of cluster reduction can be observed in numerous examples of English dialects around the world, including but not limited toNew Zealand English,South Atlantic English, and African American Vernacular English.[1]
In some dialects of English such asAAVE certain historical consonant clusters reduce to single consonants at the ends of words, and is common in words in which one of the final consonants isalveolar (/t/, /d/, /s/, /z/):[2]friend rhymes withBen, andcold ishomophonous withcoal. In both cases, a historical cluster ofhomorganic consonants loses astop:/ˈfrɛn/,/ˈkoʊl/ However, incolder, where the consonant cluster falls between vowels, the/d/ remains:/ˈkoʊldɚ/. The similar word-final reduction of*/mb/ to/m/ and*/ŋɡ/ to/ŋ/ is complete instandard English (e.g.lamb,long), as it is in many other Germanic languages (e.g. Swedishlamm,lång).
In AAVE, this cluster reduction is the result of a phonological rule. In unambiguous situations, the clusters can be reduced without leaving the listener confused.[3] For example, the rule implies that a speaker could say "eight cat," when referring to multiple cats, but not "the cat" when referring to multiple cats. The latter statement would result inambiguity, and listeners may become confused, thinking the speaker is talking about only one cat.
Italian is well known to have undergone cluster reduction, where stop clusters have becomegeminates. For example,Victoria has becomeVittoria. In other words, articulation but notlength has reduced. A similar occurrence is observed in Portuguese as well, butgemination is absent. Cluster reduction also takes place inCatalan, and in a similar way as it happens in English. Certain consonant clusters placed at the end of a word are reduced:cent/sen/ instead of/sent/, although they recover the reduced consonant when the cluster falls between vowels:centenar/səntəˈna/. This phenomenon does not exist inValencian, though:cent/sent/ andcentenar/senteˈnaɾ/.
Word-initial and word-final consonant clusters do not exist in the Japanese language. Therefore, JapaneseELLs may find producing English words with such clusters to be troublesome.[4] Common cluster simplification strategies for Japanese ELLs include cluster reduction (e.g., string /stɹɪŋ/ → /sɹɪŋ/) andepenthesis (e.g., /stɹɪŋ/ → /stəɹɪŋ/), which describes vowel additions within, or at the end of, words.[4]
Not only is cluster reduction common in specific languages, but it occurs in world Englishes, as well. For example, final consonant cluster reduction is common among those speaking dialects of Singapore English, and they may use cluster reduction strategies known asmetathesis,glottalization, anddeletion.[5]: 348 Clusters which have both /t/ and /k/ are usually reduced to [k].[5]: 354 As inSingapore English, speakers ofNigerian English may also reduce or delete their final consonant clusters. Strategies of cluster reduction common in Nigerian English include metathesis or epenthesis with the vowels /u/ or /i/. An example of this occurs in the word silk, which Nigerian English speakers may say /silik/ instead.[5]: 348 Unlike Singapore English, /k/ and /t/ clusters are generally reduced to [t].[5]: 354
A common simplification process inChicano English is word-final cluster simplification. For example, "ward" would sound like "war," and "start" would sound like "star."[6]: 467 InSpanish, there is a sequential constraint, and /s/ clusters cannot occur at the beginning of a word. Due to this constraint, epenthesis of a vowel in a word before the beginning /s/ cluster is common, such as in the words "school, "scare," and "spoon," which would sound like [iskul], [iskɛr], and [ispun], respectively.[6]: 467
Infirst language acquisition, children show similarities in the clusters they reduce and which consonant the clusters are reduced to.[7]: 397 Following are some common word-initial cluster reductions: Clusters including africative and astop typically get reduced to the stop, as in [pun] for spoon. Clusters with a stop and aliquid usually reduce to the stop, such as in [bu] for blue. Clusters with a fricative then a liquid generally get reduced to the fricative, like in [fai] for fly. Clusters containing a stop and a glide are reduced to the stop, as in [kin] for queen. Fricativeglide clusters are reduced to the fricative, like in [sɪm] for swim. Finally,nasal and glide clusters reduce to the nasal, such as in [musɪk] for music.[7]: 398
/S/ clusters serve as a special case for development, as they are learned separately from other clusters, with some children learning them first and some learning them last.[8]: 982 In general, English-speaking children reduce /sl-/ clusters to [s] (as in /sling/ - /sing/), but reduce every other type of /s/ cluster (/sp-/, /st-/, /sk/, /sm-/, /sn-/, and /sw-/) to the second consonant in the cluster.[8]: 982
In general, children may have trouble with the production of liquids /l/ and /r/.[9]: 103 To simplify clusters that include these liquids, children may replace these sounds for the glide /w/ or omit the sounds completely.
Two of the theories for liquid cluster development have been proposed by Greenlee (1974) and Elbert and McReynolds (1979). Greenlee (1974) introduced a three-stage process of developing stop and liquid consonant clusters which includes liquid deletion ([pɒt] for _plot_), substitution of the liquid with the glide [w] ([pwɒt]), and then correct production ([plɒt]).[10]: 87
Elbert and McReynolds (1979) created a four-step process based on Greenlee's (1974) previous proposal, including stage one, where both consonants are deleted; stage two, where one consonant is kept while the other is omitted; stage three, where both consonants are produced, but not correctly; and stage four, which is the correct production of both consonants.[11]: 87 For example, _tree_ would first be produced as [i:], then [ti:], then [twi:], and, lastly, [tri:].
Cluster reduction also occurs in theDutch language, similar to English. It is common for Dutch-speaking children to begin reducing clusters between ages 1;3 and 1;11.[12]: 974 The strategy tends to decrease between ages 2;6 and 3;0, and it drastically decreases by the time the children are 4;3. Some cluster reduction may linger until the age of 6, and development of clusters could last until the age of 10 for some.[12]: 973–974
Consonant-cluster reduction is the most common phonological process used byBrazilian Portuguese-speaking children, and it has been found to be used the longest, sometimes past the age of 6;0.[13]: 761 Studies have not shown any gender differences in language acquisition for typically developing Brazilian children.[13]: 762
Unlike Brazilian Portuguese-speaking children, differences in language acquisition have been found inCantonese-speaking children. With consonants, girls tend to acquire both initial and final consonants before boys do.[13]: 762 Consonant clusters containing a fricative and /l/ are generally the final clusters acquired, and, by the ages of 7;6-7;11, typically developing children usually no longer reduce clusters.[13]: 766, 768
Children usingcochlear implants tend to use the same cluster-reduction strategies as children with normal hearing when learning words with consonant clusters.[14]: 157 When liquids and fricatives are present before a stop in a cluster, the liquid or fricative is more often theconsonant that gets reduced. For example, /pleɪ/ gets reduced to [peɪ], and /skaɪ/ is reduced to [kaɪ].[14]: 159
Pronunciation Training.American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 25(2), 172–182.